So You want to Play Competitive EDH?



Introduction

This is a basic introduction into how to build any commander into a competitive deck. (Look below for tips on building a budget list)

Below will go over choosing the exact direction of your deck.

You shouldn't pick a commander based solely off of its abilities, but sure, do it, but colors and what you like matter as well. Generally, the more colors the better, but , , and should be priority colors, as they give you a ton of possibilities.


Generally, each deck is either using its commander as a way to win, gain resources, slow the opponents down, or get useful colors. Many decks are a mix of these ideas. This primer is how to build a deck with an awful commander, or even good ones. Generally, a commander like Arcum Dagsson, Captain Sisay, Sidisi, Undead Vizier are great commanders, and you have access to a portion of your deck as your "8th" card in your opening hands.

Other commanders with high-value effects like Kess, Dissident Mage, Azami, Lady of Scrolls, or Teferi, Temporal Archmage in the command zone are simply powerful cards, and although plenty of cards have combos with them, they do not require them to be powerful.

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and General Tazri are both powerful commanders for Food Chain builds, that make infinite mana, and abuse that the commander has an enter-the-battlefield effect. The generally use these commanders for colors as well, and without either of these, they would switch commanders.

Scion of the Ur-Dragon, and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom are two 5 color commanders. On there own, they aren't too powerful, minor combos exist, but the decks that use them normally use them for their colors, and not their abilities.

As long as you know all of this, you can most likely pick a commander that can suit your playstyle or idea for your deck. This primer can still be used on commanders that do not necessarily follow the above requirements.


Creature Commanders: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&format=+["Commander"]&type=+["Legendary"]+["Creature"] (Off Site Link)

Planeswalker Commanders: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&text=+[commander]+[can]+[be]&type=+["Planeswalker"]&format=+["Commander"] (Off Site Link)

Okay, so you have a commander, well, let's go over the following:

Combo - Though most decks have combo, this is a strategy based around comboing off as fast as possible to win the game with a start. Colors that are Good at this are , , , and

Stax - A strategy where you play out game-changing effects that attempt to slow or limit the resources your opponents have, to tilt the game in your favor until you win the game. Colors that are good at this are , , , and

Control - This is a strategy of countermagic, removal, and ways of stopping the opponents' attempts at winning the game, so you can set up your win condition, this strategy comes with some overlap with stax builds. Colors that are good at this are , , and

Many win conditions are color specific, you can't run Laboratory Maniac in Zirilan of the Claw or anything, but there are options for any deck.


Beatdown?

Well, though some decks (normally stax decks) can pull this off, I don't recommend it, as it is too open for a sweeper or just targeted removal to deal with, and you have 120 life to go through, instead of modern or legacy with 20. It just isn't the format for beatdown to be super prevalent. If you can pull it off though, more power to you. See Tana and Tymna Blood Pod - Primer for an example of how to beatdown right.


Big Spells

Yes, a large enough Exsanguinate, Comet Storm, Debt to the Deathless, Genesis Wave or pretty much any good x spell will win, and so will a Aetherflux Reservoir given enough of your deck is dedicated to it, but otherwise these cards aren't all that useful. A storm deck is one of the few decks I would suggest these be used.


Combos

Below are some of the most common combos for decks by colors.

Colorless

Paradox Engine + Strionic Resonator + or more mana from nonland permanents = infinite mana, syphon this off in a outlet like Sensei's Divining Top (Tap the top, then the resonator, untap the top, rinse and repeat until you draw your deck, then Aetherflux Reservoir for the win.)

Paradox Engine + Isochron Scepter with a castable spell like Warping Wail imprinted + or more mana from nonland permanents = infinite mana, syphon this off in a outlet like Sensei's Divining Top (Tap the top, then the scepter, untap the top, rinse and repeat until you draw your deck, then Aetherflux Reservoir for the win) or Aetherflux Reservoir (Isochron Scepter casts spells, so it will trigger it infinitely).

Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth = infinite mana, with an outlet like Sensei's Divining top to win (use Rings of Brighthearth to double the Sensei's Divining Top ability, so you draw the top card, them draw Sensei's Divining Top again, rinse and repeat to draw deck and win with Aetherflux Reservoir).

Metalworker + Umbral Mantle/Sword of the Paruns/Staff of Domination = infinite mana as long as you can support the cost with enough artifacts in hand (2 artifacts for Umbral Mantle/Sword of the Paruns, 3 for Staff of Domination), siphon it off into any Goblin Cannon effect and you win.

Mono White

Rest in Peace + Helm of Obedience = Instant exiling of target opponent's deck.

Auriok Salvagers + Lion's Eye Diamond = Infinite mana and recursion of artifacts in your graveyard with a converted mana cost of 1 or less. Siphon this mana by recasting and sacrificing a Conjurer's Bauble to draw your deck with infinite mana, so you win.

Mono Blue

Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal + or more mana from nonland permanents = infinite mana, syphon it off in any outlet like an Aetherflux Reservoir and you win.

Power Artifact + Basalt Monolith/Grim Monolith = infinite mana, siphon it off into a Goblin Cannon (activate it in response to the last activation, so you never have to sacrifice it until you are out of mana and then kill each opponent.)

Phantasmal Image/Gauntlet of Power/Caged Sun/Dead-Eye Navigator/Extraplanar Lens + Palinchron = Infinite cast triggers and mana, Aetherflux Reservoir or any other outlets work.

Deadeye Navigator + Great Whale/Peregrine Drake = Infinite Mana, siphon it off into an outlet and win (Goblin Cannon will do the trick.)

Mind Over Matter + Arcanis the Omnipotent/Azami, Lady of Scrolls/Archivist/Enclave Cryptologist/Lu Su, Wu Advisor/Sea Gate Loremaster/Talas Researcher = infinite loot (use this to either dig for other combos, or set up the win with a Kozilek, Butcher of Truth so you can cycle your deck infinite times and win with whatever you want)

Mono Black

Triskelion + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed = Instant win, you ping your opponent's face once, then spend two counters damaging Triskelion. Repeat the process until win.

Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond = Causes a loop that wins the game as soon as one opponent loses life or you gain any.

Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience = Tapping Helm of Obedience and paying at least mana into it exiles target opponent's library.

Magus of the Coffers + Umbral Mantle/Sword of the Paruns/Staff of Domination = infinite mana as long as you have the swamps to support the loop (4 swamps for Umbral Mantle/Sword of the Paruns, 5 for Staff of Domination) and siphon it off into a Goblin Cannon to win the game.

Morality Shift = Balthor the Defiled in the yard, exile him to put Phyrexian Delver and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed to the battlefield, putting the Triskelion from the yard to the battlefield as well, and go off with that.

Mono Red

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Combat Celebrant/Zealous Conscripts = infinite hasty creatures ready to attack.

Heartless Hidetsugu + Gratuitous Violence = Instant kill each opponent

Neheb, the Eternal + Aggravated Assault = Infinite mana and combat phases as long as at least 6 life has been lost collectively by each opponent, infinite combat steps will occur with only 5 life loss. Put that into an outlet like Goblin Cannon and you win.

Heat Shimmer/Twinflame + Dualcaster Mage = Infinite hasty 2/2 tokens.

Mono Green

Priest of Titania/Elvish Archdruid/Wirewood Channeler/Karametra's Acolyte + Sword of the Paruns/Umbral Mantle/Staff of Domination = infinite mana with 4-5 elves in play or 4-5 green devotion.

Ley Weaver/Argothian Elder + Maze of Ith = Infinite mana/untaps of lands, Goblin Cannon or any other outlet will win.

Food Chain + Eternal Scourge = Infinite colored mana for creatures, Walking Ballista is a good outlet.

Hermit Druid = You can win from a single tap of hermit druid on your upkeep and an additional to flashback Krosan Reclamation topping a two-card combo.

Dimir

Laboratory Maniac + Tainted Pact/Demonic Consultation = Win on draw.

Golgari

Hermit Druid = Mill out your library on tap if you have no basic lands in your deck, then reanimate Bloodghast and Dredgscape Zombie, sacrifice them all to Dread Return, bring back Necrotic Ooze, with Wall of Roots to get a green, Blighted Bat to give it haste, Devoted Druid+Channeler Initiate to make infinite mana, and Walking Ballista to win the game! Phantasmagorian/Cabal Therapy can be used to sacrifice creatures you need in the yard to cast or to discard combo pieces.

Surival of the Fittest + Creature in hand = Discard a creature to fetch Protean Hulk, discard the hulk to fetch Apprentice Necromancer, cast it, recur the hulk, sacrifice it Mogis's Marauder + Deathrite Shaman + Hermit Druid, give haste to the shaman and the druid, go off with Hermit Druid.

Selesnya

Boonweaver Giant + Sacrifice Outlet = Win (fetch Pattern of Rebirth, sacrifice him, fetching Karmic Guide, bringing him back, sacrifice them both, fetch Reveillark sacrifice it, recur the Karmic Guide, recur the Giant, recur the enchantment, sacrifice the giant, fetch Saffi Eriksdotter, sacrifice Saffi to herself, targetting the guide, sacrifice the guide, return it to the battlefield, target the lark on ETB, respond by sacrificing the guide, bring back the lark, recur Saffi and the Guide, recur the Giant from the Guide, recur the enchantment from the giant, sacrifice the giant, fetch a Pierce Strider, sacrifice Saffi to herself, target the Guide, sacrifice the rest, the guide comes back, recur the lark, respond by sacrificing the guide, recur saffi and the guide, bring back the strider, rinse and repeat), tons of variants on this

Simic

Flash + Protean Hulk = Fetch Hermit Druid, Vitaspore Thalid, and Tukatongue Thalid. Sac the thalid, haste up the druid, tap the druid, Journey's Memory Laboratory Maniac to the top, Think Twice and cast the Maniac, then Deep Analysis to win, tons of variants on this. (Mine takes like 11 mana but I am too lazy to look up a better one)

Sultai

Flash + Protean Hulk = Fetch Mogis's Marauder, Deathrite Shaman, and Hermit Druid, give haste to the shaman and druid, go off with Hermit Druid.


Feel free to research more win conditions and combos!

Once you have your win conditions, commander, and colors, and you have decided to go combo (if you want a different strategy, look below!), what is next?

Start by looking in your color(s) for powerful tutor effects.

Examples for each color are Enlightened Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Worldly Tutor, and Gamble.

List of EDH Tutor Cards is a great resource for this.

Pick low-costing tutors preferably beneath 3 mana. Then find good card advantage for your deck. Tutors are one form, but running a Ponder, Night's Whisper, Faithless Looting, and other such are useful tools when finding land drops, ramp, tutors, your combo, or any other cards you need. Run as many low-costing, cantrips as you can. Try to stay away from cards like Opportunity and Harmonize, we rarely have the mana to cast them before an opponent has locked us out of the game, won themselves, or now has a handful of answers to our combo. Wheel effects like Timetwister or Wheel of Fortune should be run as well, as they dig really far and don't mind your opponents getting some value, your deck will try to aim to empty its hand before your opponents to, so you will receive much more value.

Find ramp that allows your deck to go off on sooner turns, or dredge through stax. If you are a deck with green, Deathrite Shaman, Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Elves of Deep Shadow, Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, Boreal Druid and other 1 mana dorks are great additions to any combo deck that can run them. Sol Ring, Chrome Mox, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal and other such mana-positive rocks are useful tools in most lists, but are great in combo, as they can be ramp for future turns or rituals on turns we need them.

Speaking of Rituals, they are important cards in combo-lists with a combo that is far too expensive to cast without them. Dark Ritual, Rite of Flame, and the like are good in those decks or storm lists.

Fellwar Stone, Signets, Talismans, and other 2 mana rocks are powerful ways to make mana. remember them if you need more ramp and don't have access to the loads of dorks green has.


Storm lists are very different to what I have been talking about previously. They are lists with the goal of powering out a ton of spells in one turn, many of which either make mana, draw cards, or do both. They normally run engines or cards that allow them to do this, as the deck can't pull this off on its own. Paradox Engine, Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder, and Ad Nauseam are big engines that can change a turn of nothing into a turn where you cast 40+ spells, draw a large chunk of your deck, or allow you to hit your win condition, which could be a lethal Tendrils of Agony or Aetherflux Reservoir, instead of being a normal combo. These lists require the decks being built to support this storming off and will be built differently to a normal combo list, but they are built differently than each other too. Summer Bloom might be run in a Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder list, but not in a Paradox Engine list, for something like Thran Dynamo instead. I do not believe I can go over all the intricacies of storm, as it is much more complex and subjective than a normal combo deck.


Interaction is something that every deck needs some of. Removal like Chain of Vapor, Dismember, Lightning Bolt, Nature's Claim, and Swords to Plowshares may be what you are thinking of, but countermagic like Pyroblast, protection like Mother of Runes or Autumn's Veil, and some stax effects like Notion Thief or Aven Mindcensor are important parts too.

Run interaction as you need. Each meta is different. If you realize countermagic like Pact of Negation for your combo turn doesn't help, because multiple opponents will counter your stuff, then run a Silence or Autumn's Veil, sticking a Grand Abolisher a turn before you combo off can also be useful. If removal like Dismember become too much card disadvantage, as you want to hit multiple threats but just can't, run Toxic Deluge. It may be more expensive, but it is cheaper than 4 Dismembers if it hits 4 targets consistently. Run your counterspells over removal, if most of the threats are instants or sorceries. There is interaction for everything, Stifle the Protean Hulk's trigger if you can't Dispel the Flash, Swords to Plowshares the Blightsteel Colossus you can't Dismember, etc.

A ton of interaction is probably not what you need, as that is more control, but run enough to win the game.

The first thing I suggest you do is to pick lands, creatures, or artifacts. Only pick creatures if you have green in your deck, otherwise, I wouldn't suggest it, but no matter which you pick, Artifacts or Creatures being my preferred option, run hate cards for the rest. Armageddon, Ravages of War, Ruination, Winter Orb, Hokori, Dust Drinker, Rising Waters and other such cards are great options when hating on lands, Null Rod, Stony Silence, Kataki, War's Wage, Energy Flux, Shatterstorm and the like are great cards against artifacts, and Cursed Totem, Pendrell Mists, Magus of the Tabernacle, and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale are all great options against creatures.

Stax is attempting to remove your opponents' resources, run as much ramp as you can manage so you can get around your taxing effects, and make sure your destruction and hate hits you the least. This will all mean you can shut off your opponents' plans and win the game.

Trinisphere, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Vryn Wingmare, Thorn of Amethyst, Sphere of Resistance, Glowrider, Nether Void and other such cards will tax nearly everything, so your ramp will allow you to still play, while your opponents are left to suffer.

Running dorks like Deathrite Shaman, Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Elves of Deep Shadow, Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, and Boreal Druid are a great help when doing all of this stax. Mana rocks are a replacement when you do not have access to green.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Stranglehold, Aven Mindcensor, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and other such asymmetrical effects are great in stax, so run them when you can, but don't feel bad if you need to run a Stasis or Static Orb that will hurt you too, as long as it hurts your opponents more. Under a Static Orb, a Thran Dynamo will help you get the mana you need, and a Candelabra of Tawnos with it can really push you ahead of your opponents, stockpiling lands to use on your next oppressive piece of stax.


The next thing to talk about it running card draw and tutors, so you can find the right stax for the table. Using an Enlightened Tutor to fetch a Damping Sphere against the storm player is much better than hoping you draw one. This play turns your deck into a toolbox, where you find the right tool to destroy your opponents' hopes and dreams (if you notice I become evil when I play stax). List of EDH Tutor Cards is a great resource to find the right tutors for your deck.

For other kinds of card draw, I suggest running fewer cantrips than a combo or control player would run, they become overbearing to cast through your stax, and so an effect like Wheel of Fortune, or larger draw spell can become much more effective. Sensei's Divining Top, Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, Sylvan Library and other permanents that draw you cards are truly key though, as they allow you to draw cards and set up the win without spending excess mana casting them after they have it the battlefield.


Interaction should be run in every deck, but do not be scared to run slower interaction than a combo player would. Your list has much less reason to run a Silence than a fast-paced combo player would. One piece of stax is just a brick in a wall, countering things will become greatly inefficient in stopping the decks' gameplan if you hold out that long. Your removal should either hit a lot, be very fast, or should be repeatable, Magus of the Abyss can destroy a ton of creatures throughout the course of a game, but doesn't remove fast-acting threats with ease. Swords to Plowshares can hit a lot sooner, but is card disadvantage against multiple opponents and isn't repeatable. Run a mix of these effects, and fine tune it for your meta.

Control is mostly interaction and card draw, nail these two key factors and you are good.

In terms of interaction, I suggest you have many answers that hit multiple targets, Grasp of Fate can be an example. Toxic Deluge and other sweepers also work. The point of this is that if your deck is 1 for 1 answers you will lose, as there are 3 opponents. Sweepers and 3 for 1s balance this, but to tip the card advantage in your favor, card draw is required.

Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, Windfall, and Timetwister are all great options for card draw, notice anything? they are all cheap, draw multiple cards, and are blue. Blue is the best color for card draw, making them the best control color, but outside of blue, you aren't lost. Night's Whisper, Wheel of Fortune, and other such effects can do similar things, and though finding a ton of them is hard, I believe it isn't impossible.

By running cheap 1 for 1 answers, powerful but cheap card draw, and cheap sweepers and "X>1 for 1"s control is built. They sometimes employ tactics similar to stax to slow the game long enough to get their answers but aren't trying to lock them out by using stax and are instead going to control a game to their win.

Other than that, what else does control run? Cantrips, a lot of cantrips. A little bit of ramp, but a lot of cantrips. They help smooth out draws and do a lot of work. Brainstorm, Predordain, Ponder and the like may be the best, but a Faitless Looting, Sylvan Tutor, Sensei's Divining Top and other such effects do good work as well.

I would greatly recommend a mana rock package for any control list, like the normal Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, etc. but also just good signets and other 2 mana rocks. Drawing a lot of cards means little if you can't cast them all.

Before we start picking out cards, we should go over mana curve.

A card should be very cheap, so you can cast it early and fast. For each mana, you should have a single x for 1. Let me explain what that means. Brainstorm nets you the card it costs to cast and 1 mana. Swords to Plowshares costs 1 mana, and gets rid of one threat. Grasp of Fate hits three non-land permanents, and costs 3 mana, etc.

Use the above rule for almost all card draw and interaction. Then make sure that each of them costs 3 or less, card draw or removal that costs more than three has to be extremely good like Ad Nauseam (A draw 20). The rest should cost 1 or 2 max. Counterspells can only be a 1 for 1 generally, and so don't run counterspells that cost more than two.

Some examples of incredible cards by this standard are Wheel of Fortune, Timetwister, Windfall, Toxic Deluge, Fire Covenant, Yawgmoth's Will, Necropotence, Sylvan Library, Mystic Remora, Treasure Cruise, and Dig Through Time, they are all great cards that see a lot of play due to their extreme value for their cost.

Tutors should ideally cost 0-2 mana if they put a card in hand or on the top of your library, if they put a desired card onto the battlefield, they should ideally cost no more than 0-2 mana more than the casting cost of the desired card. Eldritch Evolution and Reshape would be bad cards if they put the card into your hand, since they put it on the battlefield though, they can be worth it over a Mystical Tutor or Sylvan Tutor dependent on the list, and what is being fetched. Diabolic Tutor however is never a card that should be run.

Ramp should fit under ~4 categories:

Dorks (1-2 mana creatures that give 1-2 mana) like Birds of Paradise, Deathrite Shaman, Bloom Tender, or Devoted Druid.

Positive-mana rocks (Overpowered cards that can be rituals or rocks) like Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Chrome Mox, or Mana Crypt.

2 Mana Rocks (2 mana cost artifacts that net one mana) like Azorius Signet, Fellwar Stone, Talisman of Progress, or Mind Stone

Rituals (spells that make mana for a single turn) like Dark Ritual, High Tide, Rain of Filth, or Mana Geyser

If they don't fit the above, they have to really work with the deck, or be absurd and win the game or something.

Now you most likely have a good idea on what you want the deck to do, time to go over the card choices.

~30 lands (28-32) should be run in a competitive deck. If this number seems low, you are most likely running a fair number of mana-positive rocks and other such ramp effects to compensate.

Just Draw

Brainstorm - Legacy powerhouse, still great in EDH. Digs at instant speed, good at protecting cards in hand that would otherwise be taken by a discard effect.

Ponder - Digs far, can shuffle, though it is at sorcery speed.

Preordain - See above, but replace shuffle with bottom.

Serum Visions - Bad Preordain, still relevant in many decks.

Sleight of Hand - See above.

Impulse - 2 mana, but at instant speed and digging 4 makes this one worth it.

Opt - The bad Preordain with instant speed.

Frantic Search - Free, and a great card, not necessarily a cantrip, but I had nowhere else to put it.

Other Effects Stapled on

Gitaxian Probe - Replaces itself, is free, and gives information on an opponent's hand.

Into the Roil - Hits nearly anything, later in the game it replaces itself.

Blink of an Eye - See above

Arcane Denial - Great counterspell, replaces self-given time, the downside is minor.

Disrupt - Replaces self, can counter something important like a Yawgmoth's Will or Ad Nauseam or anything else that is greedily done with no open mana.

Big Card Draws

Timetwister - One of the biggest and best (and most expensive) card draw spells in the format, with the addition of shuffling every yard and hand into the appropriate deck. This acts as graveyard hate and recursion

Wheel of Fortune - Powerful Effect, good as it isn't in the color known for card draw.

Windfall - Basically blue Wheel of Fortunes, normally slightly worse, occasionally better.

Ad Nauseam - Sees play, especially with Angel's Grace, but also by itself, sometimes as a win con, or just a really good card to draw more cards.

Manifold Insights - Good card draw, 3 mana draw 3 nonlands is pretty good.

Stroke of Genius - Powerful in larger ramp decks, otherwise not the best.

Dig Through Time - Large Dig for effectively 2 mana. I mean a two mana draw 2 isn't even bad, so this is incredible.

Treasure Cruise - Apparently Ancestral Recall was supposedly banned or something? I wouldn't know.

Fact or Fiction - Well, it is less than the best dig, but it is a dig 5 for 4 and does see some competitive play.

Repeatable Card Draw

Necropotence - Just all the card draw.

Mystic Remora - Probably one of the best blue enchantments in cEDH. Draws a couple cards or so per turn you let it sit, I wouldn't suggest paying more than on it though.

Sylvan Library - The 8 life per turn isn't a big deal to draw an extra 2 cards. I am serious, use its card draw every time unless you can crack a fetch and would just discard the cards anyway.

Dark Confidant - One of the best creatures in cEDH, the reveal isn't a big deal, and you draw an extra card every turn.

Sensei's Divining Top - Great card advantage, being colorless helps with all of our Sol Rings, Mana Crypts, and Mana Vaults. Not for every deck, but useful for a lot of them.

Rhystic Study - Sees play in mono-blue and stax occasionally, not super potent at its mana cost though.

Jace, the Mind Sculptor - Not super powerful for its cost, but it grinds really hard. Useful for control lists and occasional stax lists with an extra spot.

Dack Fayden - Probably the best non-commander planeswalker in commander, the prevalence of artifacts only makes up a part of that, the Faithless Looting every turn is a great way to dig for answers and grinds better than most walkers.

Skullclamp - Great card in decks that are elfball, or can make enough tokens or x/1s to support it

Colorless

White

Blue

Black

Red

Green

  • Worldly Tutor - Great at fetching nearly any creature card, whether combo piece or stax.

  • Sylvan Tutor - See Worldly Tutor, except it is worse since it is a sorcery.

  • Green Sun's Zenith - Can fetch a combo piece or stax piece, but sees a lot of play either as a card to repeatedly cast if you are going to draw your deck, like some Captain Sisay lists, and it also can be an extra 1 mana dork with Dryad Arbor, since if you cast it x=0, you can fetch the Arbor.

  • Chord of Calling - Slow card, but a few creature-based lists can make use of it.

  • Summoner's Pact - Good at fetching Protean Hulk or Hermit Druid or any creature that wins on the spot, though generally not the best without a lot of ramp or no need to pay the mana cost.

  • Survival of the Fittest - Great card in creature-based lists, or stax lists alike, but also finds a home in some Protean Hulk lists, where you discard a card to fetch Protean Hulk, then discard it to fetch Apprentice Necromancer, then drop that, tap it, bring back the hulk and sacrifice it. Hulk lists can use that to win on the spot.

  • Birthing Pod - Great card in stax lists, or many creature-based lists, as it is a repeatable tutor, but it also has some great combo lines, one of which involves sacrificing a 3 drop creature for Felidar Guardian, which flickers the Pod, allowing you to tap it again, sacrificing the guardian, to fetch Karmic Guide, returning the guardian tot he battlefield, flickering the pod, allowing you to sacrifice the guardian, and fetching Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, which can copy the guide, returning the guardian to the battlefield, flicking Kiki-Jiki, which allows you to copy the guardian, which will flicker Kiki-Jiki, and so on, allowing you to creature infinite copies of Felidar Guardian with haste. Swing out with all of them and win!

Multicolored

  • Eladamri's Call - Good tutor for most creatures, occasionally better than Demonic Tutor since it is an instant if creatures are all you would search for, but the color requirements are hard to meet.

  • Altar of Bone - Bad Eladamri's Call, but decent in Karador lists or other sacrifice-based/graveyard decks.

  • Sterling Grove - Enlightened Tutor for enchantments only, that costs three mana, and is a permanent that protects enchantments, which is pretty good in enchantment lists, or the occasional Food Chain list, but otherwise is overrated.

  • Lim-Dul's Vault - Great tutor, it basically is Vampiric Tutor + Index, and the mana cost is what it would seem.

  • Wargate - Decent as a land tutor, x=0, though that isn't too useful, it is expensive for a tutor, but its versatility makes up for it commonly, but not every time, if you are commonly able to make a lot of mana, I'd run it.

Creature

Swords to Plowshares - A Very powerful card, one mana to exile any creature.

Path to Exile - Slightly worse version of Swords to Plowshares

Dismember - Great card, 4 life is nothing, so if you are in the colors, it is a for -5/-5

Rapid Hybridization - Great in blue, 1 mana for a destroy effect?

Pongify - See above

Gilded Drake - One of the best blue creature steal cards, 2 mana is incredible for that.

Snap - Free Unsummon, not great, but useful in High Tide lists.

Unsubstantiate - Counterspell that can hit Abrupt Decay and bounce creatures?

Izzet Charm - Shocks a dork, a Dark Confidant, or any other card in that vein of low toughness.

Aether Spellbomb - Artifact decks can use it as removal or a cantrip, very interesting effect, despite not being good outside of artifact centered builds.

Ulvenwald Tracker - Used in creature-based green decks with fatties as a form of repeatable removal, very powerful effect in the right deck, but otherwise isn't something you have to squeeze into other types of decks.

Submerge - Used in blue decks, normally in creature-based metas.

Artifact/Enchantment Hate

Nature's Claim - Very powerful card in green, a staple of green decks. Normally it is the Swords to Plowshares of Enchantment/Artifacts

Natural State - A slightly worse Nature's Claim

Caustic Caterpillar - A good card in creature strategies.

Reclamation Sage - See above, but specifically elves.

Hurkyl's Recall - Good in decks based around storming out with artifacts, or against them.

Rebuild - See above.

Manglehorn - Great way to hate artifact decks, removal + Root Maze effect.

Rakdos Charm - Smelt effect with additional graveyard hate and combo hate.

Vandalblast - Good effect for breaking down a single threat or a whole number of rocks.

By Force - Arguments are made between this and Vandalblast, some run one, some run the other, some both.

Permanent Hate

Chain of Vapor - Hits pretty much any permanent for .

Cyclonic Rift - Overrated as the best piece of removal in EDH, yet still a great card being a board wipe or removal.

Abrupt Decay - Can't be countered, hits a ton of high priority permanents like Food Chain, Hermit Druid and tons of other good cards, all for 2 mana.

Into the Roil - Can be a cantrip, commonly just a Chain of Vapor without the minor downside.

Blink of an Eye - See above.

Abrade - Creature or Artifact removal.

Beast Within - Hits any permanent for 3 mana. Very versatile, despite being a tad expensive.

Mass Removal

Toxic Deluge - The best straight up sweeper. It is super easy to splash, and is in one color, and is 3 mana.

Fire Covenant - Second Best Sweeper, hits a whole ton of stuff, and is very useful if you are in rakdos+ colors

Grasp of Fate - Great in Zur the Enchanter, but other control lists can run it.

Blasphemous Act - Cheap Sweeper, little use in competitive EDH

Rolling Earthquake - Very cheap sweeper for hate-bears and dorks.

Free Countermagic

Force of Will - A Great card, but shouldn't be run unless your deck is blue-based

Mental Misstep - Incredible card in any deck with the spot.

Pact of Negation - Useful to protect combos, and occasionally in decks that can ramp it can disrupt opponents. Angel's Grace Ad Nauseam decks also make this card useful.

Mindbreak Trap - Storm hate, and just general combo hate.

1 Mana Countermagic

Swan Song - Hits so many high-target spells.

Dispel - Useful against tons of opposing spells, and also great on your turn against disruption.

Pyroblast - Great card for red, countermagic and removal.

Red Elemental Blast - See above.

Spell Pierce - Hits hard in cEDH, unlike other formats.

Flusterstorm - Storm card, but anti-storm rather than a storm finisher. Can easily be a Spell Pierce in other cases.

2 Mana Countermagic

Arcane Denial - Great way to counter a spell because it replaces itself.

Remand - Tempo card less than a normal counterspell, yet is a very powerful card.

Delay - Basically splashable Counterspell

Negate - Hits most spells, and is more splashable Counterspell

Mana Leak - mana is a lot to pay, yet is occasionally payable, making it a worse

Mana Drain - A bit less splashable, but still is extremely powerful.

Taxes

Sphere of Resistance - Simply slows down the game, able to be less effective on you if you only cast 1 spell a turn.

Thorn of Amethyst - Easily one of the most powerful effects, but not easily being able to be destroyed and you just need to run more creatures than your opponents to gain value.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - See above, but it is a creature, so it is a tad easier to tutor, and less protected.

Vryn Wingmare - See above, but is a tad more expensive.

Glowrider - See above.

Trinisphere - With a stax deck, you cast more expensive spells than many decks, and so the card effects you less.

Damping Sphere - Anti storm and anti Mishra's Workshop-like effects.

Lodestone Golem - Running tons of artifacts is normal in stax, so it barely affects you, and also the largest creature on the field often.

Land Destruction

Armageddon - Very simple, if you are running creature-based ramp or artifact-based ramp, it can be a great way of turning your minor tax effects into an oppressive wall that they cannot overcome.

Ravages of War - See above.

Ruination - Same as above for most opponents, but much easier to get around yourself.

Blood Moon - One of the best reasons red is a stax color. It shuts down most landbases in cEDH

Magus of the Moon - See above.

Doesn't Untap/Enters Tapped/Tap Effects

Winter Orb - It isn't colorless Stasis without the upkeep, but it is pretty close, crushes decks that need to use lands as their main source of mana.

Root Maze - Hits on landbases like a truck, especially with a Stasis, Winter Orb, or a Static Orb on the field.

Static Orb - Winter Orb that can hit creatures and artifacts too, hurting everyone. Useful especially with effects that untap your stuff like Unwinding Clock or Teferi, Temporal Archmage.

Kismet - One-sided effect to hurt your opponents chaining powerful effects.

Frozen Aether - See above.

Orb of Dreams - See above, but not a one-sided effect.

Tangle Wire - Incredible card, slows them down for a few turns for a mana Time Stretch in the right deck.

Manglehorn - Removal and artifact hate.

Blind Obedience - Artifact and Creature hate.

Authority of the Consuls - Creature hate, occasionally relevant lifegain against infinite 1/xs.

Choke - Blue hate, powerful card, but not normally seeing play in most 3-4 color stax lists.

Hokori, Dust Drinker - Great commander, but only seeing play in Captain Sisay lists outside of that. Winter Orb on a bear isn't that good for double the mana.

Stasis - A card that is allowed to end games with an untap effect or a Carpet of Flowers left next to a Frozen Aether and an opposing mono-blue player. Usually run in mono-blue stax or decks with Unwinding Clock/Teferi, Temporal Archmage/Tezzeret the Seeker.

Artifact Hate

Kataki, War's Wage - A powerful tax effect every upkeep for artifacts, used in Captain Sisay or creature-based stax lists.

Energy Flux - See above, but less used since blue normally uses artifacts.

Null Rod - Great way to shut off artifact mana without shutting off artifacts like Winter Orb or Sphere of Resistance

Stony Silence - See above.

Creature Hate

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale - An ability like this on a land is absurd against a deck hoping to turn one a dork and the next turn drop another or an Animar, Soul of Elements or something.

Pendrell Mists - See above, but much more reasonable cost and on an enchantment. Normally not used in green or white based stax lists, but instead mono-blue ones.

Magus of the Tabernacle - A creature hate card that can sacrifice itself to negate the effect is great in a deck that doesn't want the opponents to have creatures, yet wants to stick a couple of its own.

Cursed Totem - Anti-dork card, useful if you use artifact mana and run creatures, but don't want the opponents to use their abilities.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence - One-sided Cursed Totem that is great in a Captain Sisay list.

Cast Hate

Rule of Law - Stops storm in its tracks, hurts Snapcaster Mage, cascade, and generally combos.

Eidolon of Rhetoric - See above.

Ethersworn Canonist - See above, but tack on a lower mana cost, and a way to get around it with ease.

Search Hate

Aven Mindcensor - One-sided hatebear, very effective in a format of tutors and fetchlands.

Stranglehold - See above, but make it stronger, harder to kill, and stop extra turns for what it is worth.

Mindlock Orb - Shuts off a search for yourself as well, useful in mono-blue lists.

Leonin Arbiter - Hits everyone with a search tax, dubbed "Cat Jesus" for a reason.

Graveyard Hate

Relic of Progenitus - Colorless cantrip with good grave hate, powerful effect.

Ground Seal - Cantrip permanent grave hate, that doesn't stop you from mass recursion, if your deck likes cycling though itself with Timetwister, etc.

Rest in Peace - The biggest and baddest, exiles it all, then keeps it that way. Sees play with Helm of Obedience for an alternate win-con.

Leyline of the Void - Exiles new stuff in your opponents' yards, so it is a one-sided effect. Sees play with Helm of Obedience for an alternate win-con.

Scavenging Ooze - Useful in decks where the graveyard is used, and ones that want to use

Anafenza, the Foremost - Good as a beatstick hatebear is decks that use that, but otherwise isn't very good for its price.

Grafdigger's Cage - Great hate against many forms of reanimation.

Containment Priest - Flash hatebear that sees in stax.

Dorks

Deathrite Shaman - One of the best creatures in the game, though two of its abilities are nearly useless in EDH, it is good mana. Make sure you run all of the fetchlands.

Birds of Paradise - One of the best dorks, it is easy to run in any green list, occasionally a blocker, and is very powerful.

Noble Hierarch - Run it if you are in bant colors, exalted doesn't really matter, but it is useful fixing and ramp.

Avacyn's Pilgrim - Good in Selesnya, useful for fixing and ramp.

Elves of Deep Shadow - See above but in Golgari. The damage matters in infinite combos, but is otherwise unimportant.

Fyndhorn Elves - Great in any green list.

Llanowar Elves - See above.

Elvish Mystic - See above

Arbor Elf - See above.

Boreal Druid - See above.

Enchantments

Carpet of Flowers - Great card in green, commonly makes a ton of mana for its cost.

Wild Growth - Useful with land untappers, or decks that need a 3 mana commander turn 2.

Utopia Sprawl - See above.

Mana Positive/Neutral Rocks

Lotus Petal - Great in storm lists or fast-paced combo lists.

Lion's Eye Diamond - Good in combo, or decks that just need their commander as fast as possible.

Mox Diamond - Great card for decks that draw a ton of cards like storm lists, and so they empty their hands faster, and ramp and fix very well.

Chrome Mox - Useful as a free ramp and incredible in an opening hand.

Mox Amber - Good in decks with cheap commanders, not useful ramp until it hits though. Decks like Animar, Soul of Elements use this.

Mox Opal - Great card in decks with ~30+ artfacts.

Mana Vault - Powerful artifact, colorless Dark Ritual that can wait for turns.

Sol Ring - One of the most powerful cards in magic, let alone EDH.

Mana Crypt - The card that is better than Sol Ring.

Grim Monolith - Can be a ritual, used in some combos, and is also just a good card in general.

Lotus Bloom - Useful occasionally in lists with Transmute Artifact, Reshape or Whir of Invention type cards

2 Mana Rocks

Fellwar Stone - Great card, just like Exotic Orchard, but on a rock.

Coldsteel Heart - Good card, seeing play in mostly mono-colored non-green lists though.

Sky Diamond + 4 others - This and the rest of the diamond are pretty much only more mono-colored non-green lists, but are all good cards.

Azorius Signet + 9 others - Seeing play in many of the best decks, this, along with the rest of the cycle of signets including green lists, run them if you can is the normal idea.

Talisman of Progress + 4 others - Great card, better than the signets normally if you can run them.

Mind Stone - Colorless rock, being able to sacrifice is a useful ability.

Everflowing Chalice - Though rarely costing more than 2 mana, it can be cast for free to rack up a storm count or trigger a Paradox Engine.

Thought Vessel - Rarely is no-max-hand size useful, but still is a good card. Reliquary Tower but on a rock.

Fractured Powerstone - Not a useful ability, but 2 mana rocks are good.

Prismatic Lens - Great card, run in many lists. Run it over most normal 2 mana colorless rocks if you are stretching a landbase to 4-5 colors.

Guardian Idol - Enters tapped, so is the worst 2 mana rock, and the ability isn't all that useful, but otherwise is still a good card in mono-colored lists.

Bigger Rocks

Basalt Monolith - Useful in combo (Rings of Brighthearth/Power Artifact), but also is just a good rock in lists with Isochron Scepter/Dramatic Reversal combo or Paradox Engine type cards.

Worn Powerstone - Rarely sees play, but some decks run it as a rock.

Coalition Relic - Decent in mono-colored artifact lists, otherwise is normally worse than a two mana rock.

Thran Dynamo - Useful in artifact lists or some stax lists with Static Orb, etc.

Gilded Lotus - See above.

Rituals

Dark Ritual - Great in lists with low mana combos (Entomb/Reanimate), or in storm lists. Occasional commanders like Kess, Dissident Mage could make a lot of use from it.

Cabal Ritual - See above, useful in decks that can fill their yard.

Bubbling Muck - Great way to make mana in Ad Nauseam storm lists like Sidisi, Undead Vizier

High Tide - Good in decks that can abuse it with Time Spirals and Palinchron type cards.

Rain of Filth - Interesting card for Ad Nauseam storm lists.

Rite of Flame - Useful for red storm lists, or red lists that need to cast a commander fast.

Desperate Ritual - See above.

Pyretic Ritual - See above

Seething Song - See above.

Other Effects

Helm of Awakening - Sees play in some storm lists, good card for those decks, but the downside is large enough I don't think it has a spot in the meta outside of those.

Etherium Sculptor/Foundry Inspector/Cloud Key - Run in some artifact storm lists, not a personal fan, but still worth mentioning as options.

Candelabra of Tawnos - Powerhouse of a card in some stax lists, or other such decks. Not a fan of tossing it in as a normal piece of ramp, but nonetheless good.

Summer Bloom - Seeing some play in storm lists to empty their hand on combo turns, I find it works there are nowhere else.

Exploration - This and cards like it while though are powerful they are not useful in most cEDH lists, other than a few Frogger or Tatyova lists.

Voltaic Key - Run in artifact lists, it can make mana from a spent Mana Vault or Monolith, and interesting combos with Rings of Brighthearth

Clock of Omens - Uses in artifact builds, that want to drop some cheap artifacts, and a Gilded Lotus and this, tapping everything for a ton of mana to Braingeyser or Paradox Engine their way to win.

Unwinding Clock - Seeing limited play in artifact stax lists, it can work, but I don't believe it is a necessary card to those decks,

Ancient Tomb - Staple of the format, the sol land is a beast.

Gemstone Caverns - Powerful card in decks that need to hit high mana very fast.

Command Tower - Useful card, a staple of the format for a reason.

Mana Confluence - Slightly worse Command Tower, but the life rarely matters.

City of Brass - See above.

Forbidden Orchard - Command Tower with a downside. A 1/1 token normally isn't super useful, but make sure you give it to the player with the least use for it.

Tarnished Citadel - Good way to fix, life rarely matters.

Exotic Orchard - Great card for EDH, as your opponents will normally have every color.

Reflecting Pool - Not good for fixing, but hits double+ devotion very well.

Flooded Strand + 9 Others - Great cards, the whole cycle of fetchlands should be run (as many as you can) in any deck.

Tundra + 9 Others - If you can run them, use with fetchlands makes them great.

Hallowed Fountain + 9 Others - Not necessary with OG Duals, but run them if you have space, like in a 3 color or two color lists.

Adarkar Wastes + 9 Others - Good in 2-3 color lists, but with 4-5 colored lists they aren't very good.

Mystic Gate + 9 Others - Good for lists that really need to fix for some hard-to-cast cards like Necropotence, but just filtering for a Mana Drain never hurts. Also just good in 2 colored lists.

Plains + 5 Others - The basics are normally run, and are great cards, don't run more than one, or run one normal and one Snow-Covered Plains typed cards if you are running Tainted Pact since they have different names, whilst effectively being the same card they are useful. (Wastes are the 6th basic)

Cavern of Souls - Good in tribal lists, but also just lists run for the power of their commander.

Hall of the Bandit Lord - Useful in Narset, Enlightened Master and other such lists.

Boseiju, Who Shelters All - Good for decks that need to resolve an Ad Nauseam and can handle the tapped land.

Grove of the Burnwillows - Sees play like a painland, not great in many other circumstances.

Horizon Canopy - See above. The card draw is good with Ramunap Excavator/Crucible of Worlds style effects in stax lists.

Scrying Sheets - Occasionally run in mono-colored lists rocking snow basics.


Competitive play may be out of reach for many players on a budget, but I promise you it isn't impossible. It is much more difficult to do (so, for now, I won't go over how), but below are 4 decklists of prices $100-$150 dollars and are all tuned for competitive play.

Lists:

  • $100 Hermit Druid! is a budget ($100) deck that has a very high power level, and can pull wins (not super consistently, but does) at very competitive playgroups. It is a Hermit Druid list that is tuned for competitive play on a budget.

  • Budget Creature-Stax cEDH is a budget ($107) deck with medium power, and can stax out a game with creature dorks and cards like Armageddon or Winter Orb type effect, and can even win turn 5 pretty consistently. It is a Selvala, Explorer Returned combo-stax list that is tuned to compete with tier 1.5-2.5 decks in your meta on a budget.

  • KOS Budget is a budget ($124) deck that has a mid-high power level, and attempts to win nearly (about as nearly) as often as my own KOS (Karona Oath Storm). It is fully based on comboing out with Oath of Druids, and is a creatureless strategy, and is tuned for competitive play on a budget.

  • Animar Competitive Budget is a budget ($135) deck that has a high power level, and attempts to pull wins nearly (about as nearly) as often as JMCraig's Ancestral Animar. It is a deck fully based on the Animar, Souls of Elements+Ancestral Statue combo, and is tuned for competitive play on a budget.

  • Thrasios and Tymna Budget is a budget ($150) deck that has a very high power level, and attempts to pull wins on the back of its commander's insane base power level. It is fully based on combo-ing out with Thrasios, Triton Hero and infinite mana, and is tuned for competitive play on a budget.


So if you generally have an idea for how this works, try it out, if you want to see an example how to do all of this, I will set up more some examples soon from randomly picked commanders, but for now, I have thirteen:


Mono-Red Stax (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 4 | 1 COMMENT | 3647 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER



Colorless Stax (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 7 | 804 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER



Mono-Black Stax (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 170 VIEWS



Selesnya Stax (WECIC)

Standard* SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 142 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER



Gruul Stax (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 663 VIEWS



Golgari Combo (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 5 | 1017 VIEWS



Mono-Blue Combo (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 2 | 449 VIEWS



Simic Combo (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 422 VIEWS



Grixis Combo (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 155 VIEWS



Sultai Combo (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 3 | 9 COMMENTS | 1459 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER



Bant Control (WECIC)

Commander / EDH* SynergyBuild

SCORE: 2 | 188 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER



Esper Control (WECIC)

Commander / EDH* SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 198 VIEWS



Mono-Blue Control (WECIC)

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

SCORE: 1 | 224 VIEWS



Feel free to upvote this guide here: +1 Upvote

Or comment down below on any ideas, decks you have built and want advice on, or anything I missed or messed up on!

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Date added 5 years
Last updated 3 years
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This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.

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